Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

The dog days of August are upon us, and everybody, including President Obama, is on vacation.
But government never stops working--sort of. Both Chicago and...

The dog days of August are upon us, and everybody, including President Obama, is on vacation.

But government never stops working--sort of. Both Chicago and Rhode Island are in the news for their "furloughs" for public employees, saving money by shutting down non-essential services for a few days.

Shutdowns may be necessary, but it feels more and more like the era of government on the verge of a nervous breakdown. News from the White House and CBO tell us that the deficit is going to be worse--much worse--than previously thought. How much is $9 trillion, anyways?